Exercise Mats: All You Need to Know

Exercise mats are rapidly becoming the next must-have piece of home fitness equipment.

You want your workouts to be effective. But without a good exercise mat, your workouts will suffer. Since floorwork is an essential part of any fitness program, you’ll be shortchanging yourself during abdominal, core, and flexibility training, and during many of your isometric workouts.

Benefits of an exercise mat

• The padding protects your knees, elbows, and tailbone during floorwork
• Yoga exercise mats are thin and firm enough so you can stand on them without compromising your balance, Pilates exercise mats are thicker to protect sensitive hips and tailbones
• Long enough for “supermans” and other full-length prone exercises
• Keeps perspiration away from your floors and carpets
• Can be doubled over or rolled up to provide additional padding
• Much more portable and storable than thicker puzzle-board floor mats, and with no seams
• Closed-cell foam is tough, durable, easy to clean, and doesn’t “dent” like other materials

Which exercise mat is best?

Aside from superficial differences, there are several minor variations in style.

Although the typical exercise mat is six feet in length (a bit less than 2 meters), longer exercise mats are more useful, so let length be your guide, especially if you’re tall.

Thickness is important. Generally, thin yoga exercise mats are 3/16 to 3/8 inch thick. This is perfect for standing poses that might be affected by thicker mats. Exercise floor mats that are 5/8 inch thick are better for ab workouts and pilates-style exercise routines. The additional padding is welcome when you put your weight on your hips or tailbone.

The surface of the exercise mat is important. Mats should “grip” the floor, allowing you to move around without sliding. They should wick away your perspiration, so you don’t have pools of sweat making it hard to avoid slipping.

Finally, you want a mat that lays out flat. If it curls back into the shape it was in during storage, it won’t serve you very well. Go to amazon.com and read user reviews; you’re sure to find one that suits your needs.

Green or eco-friendly yoga mats

Some mats are marketed as “green” or “eco-friendly” exercise mats. These are made from fully recyclable materials, and they have the added benefit of not outgassing. They don’t emit a chemical smell, even when new, and you might feel more comfortable using them.

Although you can get “green” yoga exercise mats made from tatami or jute, these are unsuitable for most types of floorwork. If going green is your thing, stick to eco-friendly closed-cell foam exercise mats.

Benefits of a “green” yoga exercise mat:

 

• No PVC. Vinyl Chloride is a known carcinogen. While PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) is inert and safe, some people still worry about traces of Vinyl Chloride.
• No Lead. Many plastic products, particularly those manufactured in China, contain unhealthy levels of lead, a potent toxin.
• No Phthalates. Some plastics (especially PVC) include phthalates as softeners. Phthalates are being phased out in most parts of the world. Ironically, they are anti-androgens, which makes them doubly unsuitable for anyone interested in weight lifting and bulking up.
• No Cadmium. This toxin is sometimes used as a chemical catalyst in the manufacture of foam products. As with lead and other heavy metals, exposure is best avoided.

Although many exercise mats are surprisingly expensive, if you shop around you can find one with the features you prefer at a price you can handle.